The invention relates to a dye-delivery structure for introducing a leak detection dye into a climate control system.
Leak detection methods have been developed to analyze fluid systems, such as climate control systems such as heating, cooling, ventilating, and air conditioning systems, hydraulics, engine oil systems, automatic transmission systems, fuel systems, brake systems, or radiator coolant systems, using dyes. Some methods operate by adding emissive substances, such as, for example, fluorescent or phosphorescent dyes to the refrigerants and/or lubricants of a climate control system. Suitable leak detection dyes include naphthalimide, perylene, thioxanthane, coumarin, or fluorescein, and derivatives thereof. Leaks can be detected by observing fluorescence of the dye at leak sites resulting from excitation of the dye with a light source having particular illumination characteristics, such as illumination wavelength or intensity. Suitable light sources for use in fluorescence detection emit light of wavelengths suitable to excite the dye and cause light emission from the dye, which is at a greater wavelength than excitation wavelength. In general, the dyes fluoresce brightly when excited by light in the 190 to 700 nanometer wavelength range.
A variety of systems have been developed to introduce a leak detection dye into air conditioning systems. For example, previous injector designs include flow-chamber systems and syringe-type (e.g., caulking gun-type) systems. A flow-chamber system generally has a reservoir into which a leak detection dye solution is poured or a dye capsule is loaded and sealed. A carrier is then passed through the reservoir to transport the dye into the system. A syringe-type system generally has a chamber that is loaded by pouring the leak detection dye into the chamber or is preloaded by the manufacturer. The dye is then forced from the chamber into the closed system. Other injector systems include mist diffusers. Another example of a method for introducing a leak detection dye into an air conditioning system includes placing the dye into a dehydrator of the system.